High functioning autistic son at ASMovies

[have2getaway]

Hi Everyone:

My dh and I are planning to take our son who will be nearly 4 to Disney in Jan. Many comments I have heard is to avoid value resorts if at all possible. We would love to stay somewhere else, but our budget doesn't permit us to. Will it be a nightmare with an autistic child at ASMovies? Has anyone else taken their children with similar problems to Disney and stayed there?

 

[kdtwiss]

I would think you just need to look at your son's overall needs, as opposed to people making blanket statements - your son may LOVE ASM! I think the comments most pertinent to autism is the waiting for the bus thing. If that is an issue and you are renting a car - don't take the bus. What in particular are you concerned about? If you are not getting a package - sometimes it is very economical to rent DVC points to stay at somewhere you would not normally be able to swing budget wise.

 

[bookworm61]

You might want to consider staying off property at a suite type hotel, like an Embassy Suites or at Doubletree at Downtown Disney.These will give you more room to spread out and they are about the same cost as a value resort. If you aren't planning on renting a car, stick with either Downtown Disney or a resort where you are sure that the buses run regularly. My AS son needs time and place to decompress. We usually take an afternoon break from the parks to swim and go back in the early evening.

 

[Brightsy]

As someone else has already pointed out each ASD kid is different. My son, also almost 4 yrs. old is a HF ASD. He, my elder DS (6 and ADHD) and me and DH of course stayed at ASMovies several months ago. My kids had a blast there! We've stayed at Value resorts a couple times. yeah they're small but it was ok fo us. My younger DS didn't have any problem with them.

One thing I've noticed w/ my guys when we stay on property is that they both love, I mean LOVE to watch the Disney Preview Channel, the one with the Top 7 things to do in WDW. They put it on and watch it over and over and over...*sigh*

Sara

 

[SueM in MN]

One thing I've noticed w/ my guys when we stay on property is that they both love, I mean LOVE to watch the Disney Preview Channel, the one with the Top 7 things to do in WDW. They put it on and watch it over and over and over...*sigh*

Sara

A funny story for you...
One familyposted once that their son with autism liked the Disney Preview channel so much that the mom stood in front of the TV and filmed it with her video camera so he could watch it after they got home!

Just echo-ing what the others had to say. Look at the features of the resort and think of how your child would react to them. Some children might not like the large movie icons, but they might be the hit of the vacation for your child.
I have heard of the buses as a bad situation, but other people didn't have a problem.

 

[riu girl]

We stayed there 12/04 with DD (ADHD/LD, sensory issues) and a few days before we arrived I called and faxed the resort and told them about her. I asked them if we could possibly have an upper floor room non-connecting if possible. Upon arrival the CM had a big smile and told we our room was ready. She seemed so happy, I didn't want to ask her anything about the room, just went with it.
Well the room was perfect:
top floor, NS, non connecting door plus an END room. Of all the rooms at ASMo, we couldn't have picked out a better one. Its like it was hand picked for DD.
We didn't have a problem with the buses, maybe a 10 minute or so wait at the most.
Based on our experience there, I would suggest giving it a try. Our area seemed very quiet but if you look at the ASMo map, there seemed like some really out of the way areas (on the backs of the further out buildings, not the back of the buildings near the street) that would be even more quiet.
good luck, whatever you end up doing.
Also, there is a big tv screen in the food court (in the quieter out of the way section) that plays old disney movies. It really helped us at meal times.

 

[have2getaway]

We have decided to give it a try! I'm not sure we are doing the right thing, but I know my son will LOVE the Toy Story stuff. He has whole parts of the movies memorized, and Woody & Buzz are tops for him.

I was mainly concerned about the size of the room (for down time) and waiting for buses. I think we will plan to rent a car if we have problems with the buses.

I had considered (and still am actually) renting at a DVC resort. The only problem is, we wanted to purchase the dining plan and I heard that you could't get the dining plan at a DVC resort. Is this correct?

I will let everyone know how it turns out!

 

[bookworm61]

You CAN get the dining plan if you rent at DVC. I know because I looked into it recently. However, owners at DVC are not eligible for the plan because they aren't booking a package. The price at DVC is pretty steep, though.

 

[Brightsy]

A funny story for you...
One familyposted once that their son with autism liked the Disney Preview channel so much that the mom stood in front of the TV and filmed it with her video camera so he could watch it after they got home!

Just echo-ing what the others had to say. Look at the features of the resort and think of how your child would react to them. Some children might not like the large movie icons, but they might be the hit of the vacation for your child.
I have heard of the buses as a bad situation, but other people didn't have a problem.

LOL! I'm glad to know that my kids aren't the only ones hooked on that channel! Anyways, I think I'll leave the preview channel at WDW that way it's a special part of their WDW experience and not an everyday thing.

My kids love the busses, the monorail, the boat and all...the problem is figuring out which one to use when! USually even if we're driving around the resorts we take at least one "circle tour" on the mono-rail.

SAra